Snowed In
by kiss me eddie
Summary: What happens when Edward and Jacob get snowed in at Bella's house? How will they get out? Can Edward and Jacob get along? And how will Charlie react to Edward being forced to spend the night? My first fanfic so please R&R! Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Note to the people - This story is set right after New Moon, so Jacob and Bella aren't talking and Edward Cullen is not exactly Charlie's favorite person right now. This is my first fanfic so please R&R. And play nice!**

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns these fabulous characters. Wish I did...but sadly, I don't.**

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Chapter One 

BPOV

"Ugh!" I groaned as Edward and I stepped out of the school. A thin layer of white frost covered the parking lot, while more white flakes fell heavily from the sky. "Snow," I sighed.

"Oh Bella," Edward chuckled, "I would think that after living in Forks for a year you would be used to snow."

"Never," I grumbled. I could never get used to the snow. It was cold, wet, and for me, potentially life-threatening. All in all, in was best for me to just avoid it whenever possible. I hoped that it wouldn't be a big storm, however as I looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, I knew a light snowfall was out of the question.

"Are you coming?" Edward called out, breaking me out of my trance. He was already half way to his silver Volvo. I hadn't even realized that I wasn't moving.

_Here goes_, I thought. I sighed and stepped out into the snow. By the time I reached Edward's Volvo, he and Alice were already strapped in and ready to go. I attempted to slide gracefully into the front seat, but my clumsy nature took over and I slipped on a patch of ice. I braced myself for the impact with the hard, cold ground, but it never came. Instead I found myself in the hard, cold arms of Alice Cullen.

"I saw it coming," she explained smiling.

"Thanks," I mumbled as she set me back on my feet. I felt my face getting hot and heard Edward laugh as I climbed carefully into the car.

"Are we done laughing at Bella?" I snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry love." He put on his best puppy dog face as he spoke. "I guess it's easy to see why you of all people would dislike the snow. Do you forgive me?"

After pretending to think about for a few seconds I sighed, defeated.

"Of course," I said.

How could I not when his eyes golden eyes smoldered like that? Actually, today his eyes were closer to black than the usual topaz he and his "vegetarian" family sported. He was thirsty, and tomorrow he would be leaving with his brothers Jasper and Emmett to go hunting. Two days without Edward for me was like two days without oxygen or food. I sighed sadly. It was going to be a long two days. He leaned over and gave me a light kiss on my cheek. Light as it was, it still made my cheeks flush and my heart pound irregularly. Edward laughed quietly as he leaned back into his seat and swiftly pulled out of the parking lot.

After a few minutes in silence I asked, "Well aren't you disappointed about the snow?"

"No...why?" he questioned.

"Well you're going hunting tomorrow aren't you? Doesn't this kind of ruin your trip?"

"Of course not!" Edward said grinning. "It just makes it more fun...you know, adds a bit a challenge. Of course, it's still not much of a challenge, but it does make things a bit more exciting."

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, pretending to be mad. I occasionally glanced up at the rearview mirror during our drive only to find Alice fidgeting excitedly in her seat and grinning mischievously. I looked to the left of me and found Edward looking very annoyed and slightly wary. I sighed sadly. I was always the only one who never new what was going on.

We arrived at the Cullen mansion and stopped in front of the house to drop Alice off. She sprinted out of the car, an action that would have left me flat on my face, and danced up to the front door so swiftly that she barley made footprints in the snow covered ground. Before entering however, she turned around and waved enthusiastically at us.

"Have fun tonight!" she said mischievously and before I even had time to register what she had said, Alice had disappeared inside the house. I turned to Edward with a confused look on my face and found him looking slightly scared.

"What was that about?" I asked as we began to drive away. I wondered if I even wanted to know.

"I actually don't know," Edward replied, annoyed. " Alice has been reciting the alphabet in every language she knows in her head for the past thirty minutes. And she knows a lot. She was trying to hide something from me, something she finds highly amusing. Knowing Alice, it's most likely something extremely unpleasant on our parts."

Scenes of shopping and oh-so-fun makeovers flashed through my mind and I shuddered. I didn't think I could live through snow and a shopping spree all at once. The thought alone made my insides squirm, so I tried not to think about it as we pulled up into my driveway. Surprisingly, Charlie's police cruiser was there too, and covered in a thin layer of snow.

"That's strange," I muttered, half to myself. "Why is Charlie home so early?"

Charlie had obviously been standing near the window waiting for my return because he was out of the house and starting towards Edward Volvo before I had even taken off my seat belt. I motioned to him to get back into the house. It was cold outside and I didn't want Charlie to get sick. He turned and went back inside as I got out of the car and trudged through the cold snow and into my warm house. Edward was in right behind me, snowflakes glistening on his slightly disheveled hair. I could only imagine how my own rat's nest looked compared to his gorgeous locks. Charlie pulled me into a hug before I had my coat off.

"Oh Bella!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"I was driving home from school Dad," I replied. "No danger there."

"Have you seen the roads? They're covered in ice! Given your last experience with cars and icy roads, I was worried sick!"

I cringed as he mentioned one of my earlier near death experiences and replied, "I'm fine Dad. Edward's a really good driver."

"I'm sure he is," he said, a bit grudgingly as he was forced to acknowledge Edward's presence. "I hope I can always count on you to bring her home safely Edward."

"You can count on it sir," Edward replied, smiling. I smiled too. It was thanks to Edward that it made it home safely, but not completely unharmed, from Phoenix last year.

Charlie went back to ignoring Edward as he turned to face me. "There's a real storm out there Bells," he said. "The weathermen are calling for at least eight inches of snow."

_Great_, I thought, but I saw Edward grin widely beside me. He must have been thinking of all the fun he and his brothers could have in eight inches of snow.

"It's a good things you just did the grocery shopping Bella," Charlie continued. "We might be stuck in the house for a while. Speaking of which," he said once again turning to Edward, this time a bit more willingly than before, "shouldn't you be getting home soon Edward? You don't want to wait for the roads to get to bad." Charlie sounded way too hopeful for it to thought of as polite concern for Edward's safety.

"Don't worry sir," he replied, perfectly polite as usual. "The roads aren't that bad. And besides, I don't think Bella want me to leave just yet." He smiled at me and my heart just about melted.

"And like I said, Dad," I reminded him, "Edward is a _really_ good driver. I don't think he would get into any trouble on those treacherous roads."

Charlie mumbled something unintelligible and stalked off to watch TV. I decided to ignore his inhospitable behavior and start on dinner. As Edward followed me into the kitchen, I chanced a quick look out the window, and was surprised that I could barely see the world outside through all the snow. I smirked to myself. Maybe if the storm got bad enough, Charlie would be forced to let Edward stay the night. Not that Edward wouldn't be able to brave a snow storm, but Charlie didn't need to know that. I brushed off the idea. Charlie would throw Edward out of the house at 9:30 sharp even if there was a war raging out there.

I worked in silence for a few minutes preparing ingredients, and wondering if soup would be an appropriate dinner considering the weather outside. Edward just sat quietly watching me, but that was just the way I liked it. Suddenly, Edward stiffened and turned towards the front door.

"Edward..." I began, but he was at my side in an instant.

"It's him," he growled.

I didn't need to ask who "him" was. My heart sped up and my stomach clenched unpleasantly. I knew this couldn't be good. Edward placed a protective arm around my shoulder as a loud knock sounded from the font door.

"Bells!" Charlie yelled from the couch. "Can you get that?"

Any other time I would have been thoroughly annoyed by Charlie's laziness, but right now, I felt too nervous to be annoyed. I walked slowly up to the front door, Edward's hand never leaving mine, and opened it as yet another knock sounded. The door swung open widely in a gust of wind and snow, and standing in a white T-shirt and his signature cut off jeans was Jacob Black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I took so long to get this chapter out. Don't hate me!**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing  
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Chapter 2

BPOV

"Jacob," I breathed.

"Hey Bella," he said awkwardly looking at his feet.

I must have looked like an idiot standing there silent with my mouth hanging open, but I was so happy to see Jacob that I couldn't speak. It had been weeks since I had last seen Jake. After returning from Italy with Edward the rest of the Cullen clan, Jacob had refused to answer my calls or talk to me at all.

We must have stood in silence for a while because I heard Edward growl in annoyance beside me.

"What do you Jake?" I asked him.

"I miss you Bells," he replied. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

I suddenly felt weeks of unexpressed anger at Jacob for ignoring me flare up and when I spoke, my voice sounded much harsher than I had meant it to be.

"If you missed me so much you could have at least thought to return my phone calls!" I snapped at him.

"I know," he said quietly again looking down at his feet.

"Well…I'm doing fine Jacob, so if that's all you wanted, you should get home before the roads get too bad."

Jacob made no move to leave, however. He looked up at Edward as he spoke to me, "I was actually hoping I could talk to you in private." Of course with Edward around, our conversation could never be completely private, and although Jacob knew this, I decided to humor him. He probably just didn't want Edward being in the same room as him as he spoke.

"Out of the question," Edward answered for me as I opened my mouth to speak.

I elbowed him in the side, but this just resulted in a sore elbow for me, whereas Edward probably hadn't even felt a thing.

"That's not for you to decide," Jacob growled, his voice growing louder.

"Fine Jake," I said, before our conversation turned violent. "Five minutes and then you really should go." It hurt me to push Jacob away like this when he was in pain. I missed him a lot more than I let anyone know, but I knew that having a vampire and a werewolf in the same house for any period of time wouldn't result in any good.

"I'll be right outside," Edward said. Neither his face nor his voice betrayed any emotion, but I knew that he didn't like me being alone with a werewolf. Even if we were only separated by a flimsy wooden door he could knock down in two seconds flat. He stepped outside and closed the door so quickly that I didn't even feel a draft enter the house.

"Bella," I heard Charlie call from the couch, "who was at the door?"

"It's Jacob, Dad," I answered him.

_That'll make him happy_, I thought, smiling grimly. Sure enough, Charlie was at the front door so quickly I'd swear he ran.

"Jacob!" Charlie greeted him enthusiastically. "How're you doing? You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you."

"What can I say? I eat my vegetables," Jacob said with a wide grin. I couldn't help but smile at his dumb joke.

"Yes, well. I'll leave you two kids alone. I'm going to go read the newspaper upstairs," Charlie gave me a small wink that I was hoping Jacob wouldn't see. Jacob gave me a small smirk however, that told me he noticed.

I glared at Charlie as he walked up the stairs. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about Jacob and I. We were just friends. However, I could barely call us friend at this point in time. Jacob was really mad at me. I also noticed that Charlie didn't ask where Edward had gone. Or maybe he just didn't care. As Charlie's footsteps subsided I turned my attention back to Jacob.

"Let's talk in the kitchen," he said uncomfortably. I could tell he just wanted to get as far away from Edward as possible. We walked into the kitchen and he leaned against the countertop.

"So...how've you been?" he asked, stalling.

"Jacob, just spit it out!" I said exasperated

He sighed before beginning. "I know you probably don't want to hear this Bella, but I'm worried about you. Mostly, I'm worried about him hurting you."

"What are you talking about Jacob?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "Edward would never hurt me."

"How do you know Bella?" he said angrily. His voice was getting loud again and he began to tremble dangerously. "It's not like he hasn't done it before!"

"Jake you don't even know the reason –"

"I just can't believe you went back to him Bella!" he continued, cutting me off. "Like nothing ever happened. After all the pain he caused you. After all the time he left you alone, not caring whether you lived or died!"

"Stop!" I yelled, interrupting his rant. I knew Edward was listening to every word and I didn't want to hear this any more than he did. I felt my anger flaring up again so I took a deep breath. How dare Jacob say that about Edward! He didn't even know the circumstances behind his leaving. I hated they way he and Edward were always at each other's throats. They were always jumping to conclusions about the other before even knowing anything about them. But I didn't want to fight with Jacob. Especially not now, after seeing him for the first time in weeks.

"I just feel betrayed," he began again. "We all do. Everyone down at La Push. It's as if those months we spent together meant nothing. "

I remained silent so he continued. "And what you said the last time we spoke...about him biting you. You said it was none of my business. What's that supposed to mean?"

Again, I said nothing. I knew Jacob already knew the answer to this question. He just wanted to hear me say it.

"I guess I understand then," he said. "I can't believe your going to let him do that you Bella. Turn you into one of them, a monster."

"It's my decision Jacob," I answered quietly, finally finding my voice again. I felt tears welling up inside of me though I didn't know why. Why was disappointing Jacob affecting me this way?

"What about your friends, Bella? What about Charlie and Renee?"

I cringed as he mentioned my parents. I hadn't exactly given much thought to how my choice would affect them.

"What about us, Bella?" he asked. His voice was a little more than a whisper.

"Jake you know how I feel about Edward and about you. You're my best friend, but I love Edward more than anything and I want to be with him forever...no matter what it takes. So if you came here to try and talk me out of my decision, maybe you should leave." I saw the pain in his eyes as I spoke and instantly regretted my words.

"We can still be friends Jake," I added. "No matter what happens."

"I wish it could be that way Bells, but you know it can't."

"Why not?" I snapped at him. I was really going to have to work on my anger. "This stupid rivalry you guys have going is on is really making life difficult for me!" I was shouting now but I didn't care. "I hate having to choose sides all the time! And I hate that no matter what choice I make, I always end up hurting someone I care about!"

I suddenly felt an icy breeze from behind me as Jacob stiffened, and two cold arms wrapped around my waist.

"Leave now, Jacob Black," Edward growled menacingly.

Loud footsteps sounded from the stairs before Jacob had a chance to reply.

_Crap_, I realized. It was dinnertime and Charlie was hungry. I hadn't even started on dinner yet. I guess we were eating leftovers tonight.

"Jake do you want to stay for dinner?" Charlie asked. He seemed almost desperate for me and Jacob to spend some "quality time" together.

"Thanks, but no thanks Charlie," Jacob answered. His voice was falsely cheery. "Maybe I should be getting back home. Don't want to leave Billy all alone."

"Oh...ok," Charlie replied. The disappointment in his voice was pathetic.

"I should probably be getting home too," Edward said.

"No! Edward, you don't have to leave yet," I said pleadingly. Jacob looked down quickly, but I still saw the hurt look on his face. It felt like a dull needle being shoved through my heart.

"Oh...Edward." The surprised look on Charlie's face told me that he had obviously forgotten that Edward was here. "Well, if you really must go then I can't stop you."

"Dad," I said. I was starting to get annoyed by Charlie's constant rudeness towards Edward.

Charlie ignored me however and opened the front door. At least he tried to open the door. The door would barely budge an inch as Charlie jerked angrily at the doorknob.

"May I try?" Edward asked politely.

Charlie mumbled an incoherent reply but moved out of the way. Edward had trouble opening the door at first, which I was sure was an act for Charlie, but with one final tug, the door swung open. I thought I was dreaming when I looked outside. The scene resembled a winter wonderland because the entire street was covered in snow that would have reached my waist. It was difficult to see though, for more snow fell rapidly from the dark sky as the howling wind blew it around it swirls. The cars in our driveway were nearly buried in snow. I noticed however, that Edward's Volvo had slightly less snow covering it that Jacob's Rabbit.

"Jake you can't go out in that," Charlie said. "The roads are a mess!"

"I'll be fine, Charlie," Jacob said smiling. I new he was more than capable of getting home safely, with or without a car. His intensely high body temperature could probably melt the snow as he walked through it.

"No way buddy," Charlie answered. "What kind of police chief would I be if I allowed a sixteen year old boy to drive home alone in a blizzard? You'll have to spend the night here."

"If you insist Chief Swan," Jake said, now grinning widely.

I heard a low snarl build up deep in Edward's chest.

"Dad, what about Edward?" I asked hopefully. I didn't want to be left alone with Jacob for an entire night and I knew Edward felt the same way. "He can't go home in a blizzard either. Shouldn't he spend the night here too?" Not that Edward didn't spend every night here…

"Oh…well…um…" Charlie stuttered. I could tell he was trying to find a way out of this. I just smiled. He knew arguing was a lost cause. I mean, what kind of police chief would send a seventeen year old "boy" out in a blizzard?

Charlie sighed deeply and closed his eyes before speaking, "Fine. Edward…I guess you'll have to stay the night too."

"Oh I don't want to impose," Edward said, smiling.

"No really Edward, I insist," said Charlie. Even though he didn't sound sincere, I was still happy that Edward got to stay. I pictured me and him sitting by a warm, cozy fire while I drank hot chocolate and stared into his golden eyes. The perfect night.

Wait a minute. His eyes weren't golden. Not tonight at least.

"Edward," I began quietly but I was interrupted by Jacob.

"So," he said loudly, "When's dinner?"

_Ugh…dinner_, I thought

"You must be hungry, huh Edward?" Jake continued.

Edward began to growl but I tapped his shoulder lightly, reminding him that Charlie was still in the room.

"Starved," Edward responded coldly.

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**Sorry...kinda boring chapter. But I had to set the scene for the story. Chapter three is where the fun really starts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note - I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out. I would like to dedicate this chappie to my BFF foreva Palmer. Even though we have different points of view (she's on team Jacob and I'm obviously not) I still love her. Together we are PB&J!!!**

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer is one lucky lady**

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Chapter Three 

BPOV

Edward and I walked into the kitchen while I thought hard about ideas for dinner. I decided spaghetti was the quickest and easiest. Jacob followed Charlie into the living room where Jacob proceeded to call Billy and inform him of his plans for the evening. Charlie, as usual, sat down to watch a basketball game on TV. I noticed that Jacob and Edward both crinkled their noses in disgust and held their breaths as they passed each other.

_Babies_, I thought.

Once I heard the TV playing loudly, I decided it was safe for me and Edward to have a talk.

"Edward," I said, grabbing a box of spaghetti out of the pantry, "Are you sure you this is a good idea? Weren't you supposed to go hunting tonight?"

"I'll be fine," he said smiling. "One more day won't hurt. Besides, I won't miss out on the chance to kill Jacob Black in his sleep."

"Edward! That's not funny!"

He chuckled, but apologized anyway. "I'm sorry Bella. You know I didn't mean it."

"That's the thing," I mumbled, "I think you did." I grabbed a jar of my homemade marinara sauce out of the fridge and began to heat it up on the stove.

Edward startled me when he appeared at my side so quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said quietly in my ear. His cold breath made me feel lightheaded and I temporarily forgot about dinner and focused on breathing in and out. I suddenly heard a soft buzzing sound coming from Edward's pocket and his phone was at his ear in an instant.

**EPOV**

"Edward, are you all right?" Alice's voice rang out over the phone.

"Yes," I replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well when your future suddenly disappeared, I got a little worried. Did that dog show up at Bella's house?"

"Unfortunately," I sighed. "But that can't have been what you saw earlier."

"Not exactly," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Than what _exactly_ is it that you saw?" I said getting frustrated. It annoyed me not knowing what was going on in people's minds at all times. With Bella, I was used to being in the dark. But with me being so attuned with Alice and hearing her every thought most of the time, her hiding her thought from me was becoming increasingly irritating.

"Well I would think you could have guessed by now that I saw you being trapped at Bella's house for the night." She paused to giggle. "The whole situation was hilarious. And I was enjoying it all...ahead of time of course."

"Of course," I said, thinking of all the "fun" Bella and I could have cooped up here for the night with Charlie watching our every move.

"But then," Alice continued, her high pitched voice now rang with annoyance, "Jacob Black decided last minute to go over and talk to Bella. Now I can't see a thing!" I could picture her pouting her lips and stomping her foot in irritation. "So you have to document everything that happens tonight so that you can tell me all about it in great detail later."

"Will do Alice," I said. I saw Bella staring up at me, her eyes wide with curiosity. I needed to let her know what was going on before she let the already late dinner burn. The pot of boiling spaghetti was growing dangerously low on water.

"Hold on Edward," Alice said. Her voice now took on a more serious tone. "You're thirsty and you need to hunt. You know your tempers always on edge at this time of the month."

"Ha ha," I replied sarcastically.

"Seriously though," she continued. "You sometimes have problems controlling your temper. Especially with a werewolf there, you wouldn't want to do anything you'll regret."

"Thank you for your words of wisdom Alice, but I'll be fine. I'll see you all later, bye." I hung up the phone and looked at Bella.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"That was Alice," I replied and I proceeded to tell her everything Alice had said. Except, of course, her advice at the end of our conversation. There was no need to make Bella worry unnecessarily.

"Oh...and Bella," I added with a smile.

"Yes Edward," she answered.

"Your spaghetti is about to catch fire."

"Gah!" she screamed and jumped up in surprise. Obviously, Bella had forgotten she was cooking something.

"Oh Bella," I chuckled while taking the hot pot off the stove.

I had heard his thoughts and new that Jacob Black was watching us instead of the TV, so I quickly strained the noodles, returned the pot to the stove, and after turning off the heat underneath the sauce, I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist.

"We wouldn't want the human to burn herself," I whispered seductively in her ear. Bella's heart skipped a beat as some R-rated language flew through Jacob's mind.

_I wonder if I should go in there and break them up_, he thought.

_I would love to see you try pup_, I answered him in my mind. As if having heard my thoughts, Jacob swiftly got off the couch and headed for the kitchen.

_I don't like him being so close to her. I can tell he hasn't hunted in a while. Their eyes are always darker when they're thirsty_, he continued to think. Jacob Black wasn't a complete idiot. I would give him that. However I hated the way everyone seemed to doubt my self-control. I glared at him as he stepped into the kitchen with a sneer on his face.

**BPOV**

"I don't think you should be standing that close to her leech," Jacob growled. "Do you think you can take the temptation?"

"Jacob, shut up and mind your own business!" I yelled at him.

"I'll handle this Bella," Edward said, starting towards Jacob.

"No, Edward!" I said to him. "I don't want you guys to fight!" The both ignored me and kept walking towards each other.

"Charlie! Dinner's ready!" I shouted breaking up their impending fight.

Edward and Jacob stared at each other from across the kitchen as Charlie heaved himself off the couch and raced into the kitchen.

"That goodness Bella!" he said. "What took so long?"

"Sorry Dad," I mumbled. He should be happy he's eating at all.

"So, do you like spaghetti Edward?" Jacob asked mockingly.

"Shut up Jake!" I spat at him again. He was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Bella," Charlie reprimanded, "don't be rude."

_HA!_ I thought. _Charlie's telling me not to be rude? He must be delusional!_

"Actually Jacob, I quite enjoy pasta of all types," Edward said politely. His voice was sickly sweet. "Especially when Bella cooks," he added, winking at me.

I smiled back at him, but my stomach gurgled nervously. How was Edward going to get himself out of this one?

I shared the spaghetti onto four plates, purposely giving Edward the least amount of food.

"Come now, Bella," he grinned. "You know I eat more than that."

"Silly me," I laughed nervously. What was he getting himself into?

As we sat down to dinner, the tension at the dinner table was almost tangible. Edward and Jacob glared continuously at each other from across the table, while Charlie and I sat uncomfortably in between them. Charlie barely looked up from his plate as he ate. Nobody spoke and the only sounds were Charlie and Jacob's loud chewing and the sound of forks scratching against the plates.

I tried to keep me eyes on Edward the entire time, but it seemed that every time I blinked or turned away from him for the slightest second, the amount of food on his plate seemed to decrease. I looked over at Jacob and noticed that he had realized this as well. His face portrayed as mix of confusion and annoyance as he glared at Edward, apparently trying, just as I was, to figure out where he had hidden his food.

I attempted to inconspicuously look under the table, expecting to see a pile of spaghetti sitting on his lap. I found it empty however, and when I lifted my head I saw Edward smiling smugly at me and shaking his head slightly. He would occasionally pat his napkin delicately at the corners of mouth and I tried hard to stifle my giggles.

"That was really very delicious, Bella," Edward said loudly after his plate was nearly empty. His comment was directed mainly towards Jacob.

Then, to my horror and surprise, Edward rolled up the last bit of spaghetti onto his fork and popped it into his mouth. The look on Jacob's face was priceless. His eyes all but popped out of his head, and I swear I heard his jaw hit the table. I too looked at Edward like he was crazy, but Charlie seemed not to notice.

"Wow Edward," I didn't know you had such an appetite," he said. "Why don't you eat around here more often?"

"I don't mean it as any offense sir," Edward replied. "It's just that Esme prefers the entire family to eat together. I think it rather hurts her feelings when we don't eat her food."

Jacob snorted, "So what's her specialty Edward?"

"Oh," said Edward, pretending to be extremely thoughtful, "there are just so many. I'd have to say my favorite is her Beret Basque. But everything she cooks is delicious of course. It's her food that makes me so big and strong."

Jacob was trembling with anger and annoyance as he spoke. "Listen you filthy blood--"

"Hey hey hey," Charlie interrupted, holding up his hands. "There'll be no fighting here tonight. We wouldn't want little Edward to get hurt now would we?" he said with a wink to Jacob. The two of them started laughing, while Edward and I scowled. I was about to reprimand Charlie for his rudeness when the sound of the TV suddenly went out, and we were enveloped in total darkness.

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**To those of you Team Jacob fans out there, don't worry. He won't be getting the short end of the stick all the time. No matter how much I wish he would, I have to be fair to all Twilight fans.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - Edward Cullen owns my soul...but I don't own him sob**

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Chapter Four 

BPOV

I heard a girl squeal in the darkness, but considering I hadn't opened my mouth, the sound had definitely not come from me. A cool breeze blew past my right side, as a cold arm wrapped around my waist. At the same time, I felt a warm draft by my left side as a hot hand rested on my left shoulder.

"You guys, I'm fine," I said, slightly annoyed. I rolled my eyes pointlessly. No one could see me in the dark.

"Alright kids," Charlie's nervous voice rang out in the darkness, "stay right where you are. I'm going to get a flashlight and some candles. Nobody move." He spoke slowly as if we were all three year olds.

I heard Charlie's cautious footsteps move away from us, and then seconds later, a crash and a thud as Charlie tripped, taking a chair down with him.

"Dad?" I called out in the direction of the crash.

"I'm fine, Bella," He grunted.

My eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and I saw Charlie's blurry outline attempting to stand up again. All the while, Edward and Jacob breathed down my neck. Cold air on one side, hot on the other.

"Dad, don't be a hero!" I pleaded with him. "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"I'm fine, Bella," he repeated.

I sighed. It wasn't hard to figure out where I got my clumsiness from.

"Edward..." I began, but he left my side in the blink of an eye.

Jacob took this opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist. However, it took Edward all of ten seconds to return, glowering at Jacob I presumed, with four candles, a flashlight, and a box of matches. I didn't even bother to wonder how he had known where to look. He turned the flashlight on and set it on the kitchen table.

"Is everyone OK?" Charlie asked.

"We're fine, dad," I answered.

Edward walked quickly towards me and casually yanked me out of Jacob's grasp.

"I can take it from here," Edward said sweetly. However, I could hear the malice in his voice. Jacob glared at him, but didn't try to pull me back.

"I had a feeling this was going to happen," Charlie mumbled half to himself as he attempted to light a candle. He struck the match multiple times and grunted in annoyance each time the match failed to light.

"Charlie," Jacob laughed, finally leaving my side, "let me handle this."

Charlie handed the matches to Jacob grumbling something along the lines of, "Darn things won't light."

Jacob swiftly struck the match and it caught fire on his first attempt. He lit one candle and then proceed to ignite the other three Edward had found.

Jacob smiled smugly, but his smile was quickly wiped off his face as Edward remarked, "You lit a match...what an accomplishment."

"Be quiet, Edward," I defended Jake. "Not all of us have amazing vampire sight." the last part I whispered quietly in his ear because Charlie was still in the room.

"Why don't we go sit in the living room," Charlie suggested.

We each grabbed a candle in response and followed Charlie out of the kitchen. Edward in the candlelight was an absolutely breathtaking sight. The dull shone against his unnaturally pale skin making it sparkle slightly, and accentuated his perfect features. I didn't think it was possible, but he looked even more gorgeous than usual. Charlie quickly sat down in the only single chair leaving Edward, Jacob, and I to sit on the large couch. I sat in the middle and Edward and Jacob sat on either side of me. I tried to slyly scoot closer to Edward. Jacob caught on, however, and inched closer to me.

"Why don't we watch some TV?" Charlie asked after a while.

"The power's out, Dad," I said to him with an obvious tone of voice.

"Oh...right," he replied.

We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Jacob said loudly, "So...anyone know any ghost stories?"

"Are you serious, Jake?" I asked. I looked at him like he was insane.

"Why not?" he questioned me. "You guys are so boring! I'm losing my mind just sitting here!"

"I understand that Jake...but ghost stories?"

"I could go for a ghost story," Charlie grinned. "What's wrong Bella? Are you scared?"

"No, Dad!" I said, getting annoyed. "I just think it's a stupid idea!"

I definitely did not get scared easily. Running around with "mythical" horror movie creatures for over a year, and having several of those creatures attempt to kill me, had pretty much dulled my sense of fright and self-preservation.

"I think it sounds like a great idea," Edward disagreed, speaking up for the first time in a while. I glared at him, but he simply smiled back at me.

"Great!" Jake said excitedly. "'Cause I know this really great one the guys and I down at the rez used to tell when we were kids."

He moved himself into cross legged position on the couch and his gigantic knee jabbed me hard in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of me.

"Ouch, Jake!" I yelled, breathless.

"Oops, sorry," he snickered, and then he took a deep breath before beginning. "OK...this is one of our tribal legends called 'The Red Spirit'. Long ago when --"

"What was that?" Edward asked. He wasn't smiling anymore and was suddenly very alert.

"Ha ha, Edward. Very funny." I rolled my eyes thinking he was trying to scare me. "The story hasn't even started yet."

"Yeah!" Jacob agreed angrily. "Stop trying to steal my spotlight!"

"Can we get on with the --"

CRASH! Charlie, Jacob, and I all jumped a mile in our seats, while Edward quickly turned and looked towards the stairs.

"Edward," I whispered, terrified. So much for not being easily scared. "What was that?" If anyone was in the house, Edward would know. What with his mind reading abilities and heightened vampire senses.

"I don't know," he whispered back, unsure. What was that supposed to mean? That whatever was in the house wasn't human?

_No_, I told myself. _I don't believe in ghosts_.

"Well," Charlie said. He attempted to make the terror in his voice by speaking loudly. "Shouldn't someone go and check it out?"

"I'll go," Edward and Jacob said simultaneously.

Another loud thud echoed from upstairs and this time, Charlie grabbed the large cushion from the chair he was sitting on and pulled it over his face.

"Get a grip, Dad!" I said to him. "You can't tell me that Chief Swan is afraid of a little noise."

"Of course not," he answered gruffly. His face reddened as he quickly pulled the pillow off of him. "In fact...maybe we should all go together." His last comment sounded more like an unsure question rather than a statement.

"OK," Jacob said. "Let's go." He set his candle down on the table and grabbed the flashlight. He then headed slowly towards the stairs.

The rest of us got up, put our candles down, and followed cautiously behind him. When we reached the bottom of the staircase all of us looked up apprehensively at the darkness above. Jacob shone the flashlight upward, illuminating the stairs with its bright light. Then we started upward. Jacob took the lead, closely followed by Charlie who had quickly squeezed past me and Edward to be in the middle. Edward and I brought up the rear and I grasped his hand tightly as we walked up the stairs.

It took us much longer than it usually would have to reach the top because none of us was extremely eager to find out what waited in the darkness. In addition to that, another loud noise from upstairs had caused Charlie to jump backwards into me. Edward had somehow been able to hold us up, and prevented Charlie and I from toppling downward. We stepped into the hallway at the top o the staircase and looked around nervously.

Edward turned toward the door on the right and whispered, "It's coming from your room, Bella."

I felt the color drain from my face and I gulped loudly. Edward grasped the doorknob and turned it slowly. He pushed the door slightly so that it only opened a crack. The door creaked loudly as it moved sending a shiver down my spine.

_Did my door always squeak_? I wondered to myself.

I felt a chilly draft coming from the small opening. I knew from watching horror movies that the presence of spirits usually left an area feeling cold.

"Maybe I should go get my gun," Charlie said.

"Don't be silly, Dad," I scoffed. Did he seriously think that if there was a ghost in there he'd be able to shoot it?

Edward pushed the door open wider, but instead of a cool breeze, something else lunged at us through the darkness.

"AHH!" We all screamed in unison and jumped up in surprise and fright.

The mysterious being landed behind us, but the scene in front us of was much too shocking to turn away from.

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**Sorry...short chapter. I had severe writer's block all this week. I promise to make the next one really long. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? You know what to do.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note - Sorry about the cliffy last chapter. I was swamped with school work so I had to stop it there. I've gotten some questions about where Edward was hiding his food in chapter three. The truth is...I actually don't know. He could have been doing anything with it. Who knows? I guess that's one thing that makes Edward so darn attractive though. He's a mystery to us all! R&R por favor!!**

**Disclaimer - Do I have to say it? It's just going to depress me.**

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Chapter 5 

BPOV

"Oops," I said quietly. Charlie was going to murder me.

I turned and looked at the three guys around me. Edward had a small smirk on his face and was shaking his head slightly. Jacob looked as if he couldn't decide whether to gasp in shock, or burst out laughing. Charlie, however, looked furious. His mouth was agape and his eyes were bulging out of his head. In addition to that, his face was growing redder by the second.

"Bella," he managed to choke out, "what did you do?"

"I guess I kind of forgot to close my window this morning."

I heard Jacob snort beside me. I spun around to glare at him, then turned back to my bedroom.

The entire room was covered in white, fluffy snow. In some spots, like on the carpet, the snow had turned into a slushy mess, and mounds and mounds of snow and ice were piled up on my furniture and on the clothes I had left on my floor. The window against the wall was wide open allowing the fierce wind and more snow to enter the room.

_I guess that explains the cold_, I thought, ashamed that I had even considered a ghost being in my room.

There was no way I was sleeping in here tonight. As Jacob shone the flashlight around my room, I noticed that the lamp beside my bed was knocked over and the light bulb was shattered. Also, several of my books were strewn across the floor. This was probably the mark of our mysterious intruder.

I saw small footprints scattered in the snow and was suddenly reminded of the reason we had come up here in the first place. The others apparently realized this as well and we all turned slowly around at the same time.

Jacob pointed the flashlight out in front of us and I almost laughed out loud at what I saw.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Jacob chuckled.

Standing in front of us, staring at us with shiny black eyes, was a furry brown squirrel. He was chewing on something that looked a lot like a button off of my favorite jacket.

"Aw, it's so cute," Charlie said. He turned to us and scoffed, "You guys are such babies. All this fuss over a little squirrel."

We all whipped around to incredulously at Charlie.

"Well," Jacob asked, "shouldn't someone try and catch it?"

I turned to Edward and saw him looking towards my closet with a wary expression on his face that I couldn't understand. He shook his head, and then focused his attention back to the squirrel, which watched us motionlessly with wide horrified eyes.

"Don't make any sudden movements," Edward whispered.

He began inching slowly towards the squirrel. I knew Edward could have grabbed the squirrel and thrown it outside in the blink an eye. However, with Charlie around, he would have to put up an act. Unfortunately, the squirrel caught on to Edward's plan. A horrible screech-like sound projected from its mouth and the animal lunged forward, ducking between Edward's legs. Charlie screamed and jumped behind me, even though at 5'4" I wouldn't be much protection for anyone here. It was then that I realized that the flashlight was lying on the floor and Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

"Jake?" I called out as the squirrel landed right in front of me.

I was suddenly very frightened. What if this rodent had rabies? It looked pretty rabid to me. Its teeth were kind of sharp too. Did squirrels even get rabies? I looked up at Edward for help, but I found him staring at my closet again. I was thinking of sacrificing Charlie and making a run for it when Jacob ran up the stairs and threw a large pot over the squirrel. The squirrel scuffled and snarled from underneath it, but the heavy pot stayed firmly on top of him. Jacob brushed his shoulders off and smiled triumphantly. Charlie crept slowly from behind my back looking greatly embarrassed for the second time tonight.

"So," I questioned, "how do we get it outside?"

"Jacob," Edward directed, breaking out of his strange trance, "you lift the pot slowly and I'll catch him when he tries to make a run for it."

Jacob looked disgruntled at having to take orders from Edward, but did what he was told anyway. The thrashing about underneath the pot had stopped, but I didn't trust that squirrel one bit. He was trying to fool us. Jacob lifted the pot up and I braced myself for the attack. However, the squirrel simply sat there looking resigned and pitiful. Edward gently picked it up and trudged through the snow in my room to lay the squirrel on the windowsill and close the window.

"Poor guy," I said. "He just wanted to get out of the cold."

"Speaking of cold," Charlie grumbled, "can we go back downstairs? It's freezing up here."

"Sure, Dad," I answered.

"Hold on a second, Bella," Charlie said. "You are in serious trouble. Do you know how long it's going to take to clean up this mess? Think of all the money you've cost us in carpet and furniture damage?'

Ugh. I was hoping that the near death squirrel attack would make Charlie forget about my room. "I know, Dad. I'm sorry."

"Well, we can't do anything about it now. We'll have to wait until there's at least some light outside so we can see what we're doing."

Charlie and Jacob began walking towards the stairs. I tried to follow them, but Edward grabbed my arm gently, holding me back.

"Um…Dad," I said unsurely, looking at Edward, "I'll be right there. I'm going to see if I can try to salvage any of my possessions."

"Okay," Charlie grunted. I could tell he was still mad at me. "Come on, Edward."

"No, Dad, let Edward stay. I'm afraid to be in the dark by myself." I tried to put on my best innocent expression, but they weren't buying it.

"You can keep the flashlight, Bella," Jacob said. "We've got candles downstairs."

He threw the heavy flashlight at me. Big mistake. It slipped out of my grasp and would have gone crashing to the floor if it weren't for Edward's quick reflexes.

"I think it's best if I stay with Bella," Edward said. "Who knows what trouble she could get into in a bedroom full of slippery ice?"

I glared at him, but I knew that he had won. Charlie couldn't argue with those facts.

"Fine," he grumbled.

Jacob gave him a incredulous look but they turned and continued to walk angrily down the stairs. Once Charlie and Jake were downstairs and out of earshot, Edward pulled me into my bedroom and closed the door. I cringed as I looked around once more. It was going to take forever to get all the snow out of here. I doubted that my room would ever be completely dry again.

"Edward, what's going on?" I asked.

He didn't answer me, but pointed the flashlight towards my closet. I waited for about three seconds, and then watched in silent horror as my closet door began to open slowly.

"Hi, Bella," said the small, childlike figure in front of me.

" Alice?" It was dark and I didn't know if I was seeing things correctly. " Alice, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," she answered looking at the snow covered floor.

"I've got time," I said.

"Yes, Alice do tell," Edward added. I saw a glint of amusement in his dark eyes.

"Well…" Alice began, "you know I was really excited about tonight. Then that werewolf decided to make an appearance and left me I the dark. I was becoming increasingly bored sitting at home, wishing I knew what was going on. Jasper, Carlisle, and Emmett had gone hunting and I got annoyed after hours of listening to Rosalie talk about herself. I tried talking to Esme, but I think she was starting to get tired of me after a while. I knew Edward wouldn't like it if I kept calling him all night," she stopped to smile sweetly at Edward, and he smiled politely back. "And I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to find out what was going on, so I decided to stop by and see what was going on firsthand. Your window was open by the way, Bella."

"Thanks, Alice. I know," I said dully.

"And then –"

"Wait, there's more?" I groaned.

"Of course," she answered. Did Alice ever keep anything short and sweet? "As I was saying, I climbed in through the window and to my surprise, there was a cute little squirrel in here. He was obviously surprised to see me as well because he jumped and knocked over that lamp. He was running frantically around the room knocking over everything in his path and I didn't know what to do. I thought of putting the little guy back outside, but then I saw you four decide to come upstairs so I just hid in the closet. I knew Edward would know I was there so I tried to block my thoughts for as long as I could. That's easier said than done, though. Years and years of practice helped, but I still couldn't hold out for very long. Then you all showed up and wrestled with a squirrel and now your here." She smiled as she completed her story.

All of this was said very rapidly and it took all my concentration to understand what Alice was saying.

"Now I'm done," she said, smiling wider.

"Now that that's all cleared up," Edward said, "what are we going to do with you?"

"I don't want to leave," Alice pouted. "I'll die of boredom at home. Not literally of course."

I chimed in, "But how will we explain to Charlie that you're here?"

"That could be problematic," she agreed. "Hmm..." Alice was thoughtful for a few seconds. "I know. We could -"

"That wouldn't work Alice," Edward cut her off. "Why don't we just wait until Charlie is asleep, and then you can _quietly_ come downstairs. But until then, you have to wait up here."

Alice looked like she wanted to argue, but she could see that there was no other alternative.

"Fine," she sighed. "This isn't much better than being at home, but at least I can hear what's going on."

"Guys," I said, "I don't think Jacob's going to be too comfortable with having two vampires in the house. He can probably smell you already, Alice. I'd bet money he's downstairs right now hyperventilating."

They both gave me looks that said that they couldn't care less how a werewolf felt.

"So you want me to leave Bella?" Alice sounded like she was daring me to say yes.

"No, Alice," I said.

"Great!" she said happily. She twirled around in a circle then sat gracefully down on the icy floor. "You won't even know I'm here."

"BELLA!" Charlie yelled from downstairs. "ARE YOU DONE YET?"

"I'll be right there!" I called back. "Come on Edward. We'd better get back downstairs before Chief Swan comes to investigate."

We turned and exited the room, leaving Alice sitting happily on the ground.

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**I know! I'm sorry! I know I promised a really long chapter but I wasn't completely done with this chapter so I decided to stop it there and at least give you guys something. I'm horrible, I know. Please don't hate me : ) By the way, do you guys have any ideas of what should come in future chapters? I'm beginning to draw a blank.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note - Thanks so much for your suggestions. You guys are great! R&R please!**

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns everything, not me.**

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Chapter 6

BPOV

Walking down the stairs, I felt as if I was entering a war zone. Charlie and Jacob were glowering with anger and irritation. I could feel the jealousy radiating off of Jacob and knew that Edward was extremely smug beside me. What did they think happened up there anyway? Charlie looked as if he was impatient to say something, so Edward and I hurried into the living room and sat down on the large couch next to a disgruntled Jacob.

"Kids," Charlie began, "it's getting pretty late outside so I think we need to discuss the sleeping situation."

I grasped Edward's hand and squeezed it nervously while I waited for Charlie to continue.

"Jacob and Edward. You two are going to have to sleep down here, I'm afraid. We've got a couple of sleeping bags in the attic. Edward, I know you enjoy camping, so this should be fun for you."

Jacob snorted and I stifled a giggle. Edward, however, managed to keep a straight face. I tried to compose myself as Charlie turned to me.

"Bella, I guess..."

I held my breath. Charlie had to let me sleep down here tonight. I mean, my room was a disaster and there were no other places to sleep in the house. Unless he put me in the kitchen, but Charlie wouldn't do that to me. Edward, maybe. But certainly not his own daughter.

"... you'll have to sleep in my room," Charlie finished.

Crap. "What?" I sputtered, confused.

"You can have my room , Bella, and I'll camp out here with the boys. It'll be just us men down here."

"No...But...Dad..." I whined. "It wouldn't be fair for me to kick you out of your own room."

I tried not to sound childish or immature, but I couldn't help it. Charlie was ruining our plans for tonight. If he slept down here, there was no way Alice would be able to come down.

"Bella," Charlie warned, "I don't want to argue right now. You need to sleep upstairs tonight, so why don't you go see if you can find any dry clothes in your room and get right to bed. It's almost midnight."

I thought it was best if I didn't argue with Charlie by mentioning that I was eighteen and it was a Friday night. Instead, I sighed loudly and tried to look sad, hoping that Charlie would take a hint.

"Bella, is there a problem?" he asked, seeming to catch on to my disappointment.

"Yes," I began quietly. I attempted to keep my voice as calm and even as possible. "I was kind of hoping that I could sleep down here tonight with... Jake and Edward." I purposely said Jacob's name first, hoping it would soften Charlie up. I also let go of Edward's hand and scooted a few inches away from him.

"Bella --" Charlie almost growled.

Edward interrupted him before he could go on. "Charlie, why don't you let me talk to Bella. Maybe I can attempt to reason with her.

Charlie dropped his mouth in shock and Jacob, who had stayed quiet throughout this conversation, looked like he wanted to argue against this. I, on the other hand, turned and glared at him in annoyance. Wasn't he supposed to be on my side?

"Um... okay," Charlie mumbled. "But no funny business."

Edward got up silently and grabbed a candle from the table. He walked into the kitchen and I hurried after him. Once we were alone, I turned angrily to Edward, about to protest, but he quickly put a cold finger to my lips, silencing me.

"Shh, Bella," he said quietly. "Charlie's mind is made up and he isn't going to budge. There is no way he's going to let us sleep in the same room tonight. Not even with my persuasive skills." He gave me a small smile.

I heard loud thumping going up the stairs and wondered what the heck Charlie was doing out there. I ignored the noise and focused my attention back to Edward. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I had even taken a breath Edward interrupted me again.

"Don't worry, Bella. I'll be upstairs the moment Charlie's asleep." He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Maybe then we can have some alone time."

His lips softly brushed below my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt him smile as his lips moved slowly down my neck. I stopped breathing and had even forgotten what I was going to say. What was he doing? Edward was usually more responsible when Charlie was just a room away.

"Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily," a voice growled.

I looked up and saw Jacob standing in the doorway, looking angry.

Edward turned, but didn't release his grip on me. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he said innocently.

"On, don't play dumb," Jacob said. I'm pretty sure he was rolling his eyes, but being in the dark I couldn't tell. "Charlie sent me to spy on you two to make sure you didn't try anything behind his back. I've been watching you the entire time."

"I know," Edward replied, tapping his temple.

_Ah_, I thought, understanding. That explains the sudden display of affection.

"If you think you can ditch me once Charlie's asleep so you can sneak upstairs to snuggle with Bella, you've got another thing coming, leech." Jacob was whispering furiously now.

Jacob must have been picturing himself teaching Edward a lesson, because Edward's smile widened as he sneered, "I'd like to see you try, pup."

"I don't _have_ to sleep you know," Jacob spat. "I can stay awake too. And I'll be watching you." His body was beginning to tremble.

"Hey, you guys!" Charlie yelled from the living room. "You all need to hit the hay now. It's really late."

I couldn't tell if Charlie was rushing us because he was afraid we were conspirating against him, or if he was just afraid to be alone in the dark. Nevertheless, we all turned and exited the kitchen. I saw Jacob childishly stick his foot out as Edward walked past him. Edward apparently saw this coming and without looking down, he gave Jacob's led a swift, sharp kick.

"Edward!" I gasped and slapped his back hard. I most definitely caused more pain to myself than I did to him, but I didn't care. I was shocked at his immature behavior.

Edward ignored me, however, and turned to Jacob.

"Don't push me, Jacob Black," he said quietly. His voice was full of menace.

I looked up at Edward's face and saw for the first time tonight how truly thirsty he looked. The already darker-than-usual circles under his eyes were intensified in the dim candlelight, and his eyes were a shade darker than onyx. I decided to excuse Edward's behavior for now. He wasn't completely himself at the moment.

Jacob looked frighteningly threatening as well. His body was racked with dangerous tremors as he shot death rays at Edward with his eyes.

"KIDS!" Charlie shrieked, sounding hysterical. He was definitely afraid of being in the dark by himself.

We quickly scrambled into the living room, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw what Charlie had been up to. Charlie had gone all out to make the living room look as close to a campsite as possible. All the furniture had been pushed against the walls, leaving an open space in the middle. Three sleeping bags were laid out on the floor, along with a large piece of fabric, which I believed to be a tent, that Charlie was struggling to assemble. If we had any wood, I swear there would have been a roaring bonfire in the middle of the room.

_That's why he called us out,_ I thought. _He needed help._

"Dad," I asked, "Don't you think you're taking this 'male bonding' idea too far?"

"Don't be silly Bella!" he responded. "Why do you say that?"

"There's a tent in the middle of our living room!"

"Well, I wanted everyone to be as comfortable as possible," Charlie replied. "The couches are lumpy and the floor is too hard. Besides, I knew Edward would be in his element. Speaking of Edward, come here m'boy!" Charlie continued enthusiastically. "Give me a hand with this. You're our camping expert after all."

Edward looked at Jacob and smirked before saying to Charlie, "It's usually Emmett and Jasper that set up camp. I'm not very good at it at all. You're probably doing better than I could have."

"Nonsense, son!" Charlie responded. "You're just being modest. Get over here!" He ushered Edward forward with a free hand, grinning wildly.

"Dad," I said carefully, "are you feeling okay?" I had no idea why Charlie was acting so hospitable, if not too hospitable, towards Edward when he had made clear earlier today that he wanted Edward gone as soon as possible.

"Of course, Bella," Charlie answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Umm...no reason," I lied. "I think I'm going to head up to bed now. Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight Bella," three voices said in unison.

I selfishly took the large flashlight off the floor. The boys would be okay with just the candles. I gave Edward a look that said, "I'm sorry about my dad's behavior," before ascending the stairs.

As I left the room, I heard Charlie say, "We're gonna have a great time tonight boys. I got a couple toothbrushes and some of my old PJ's from upstairs. I don't know if they'll fit..."

A giggle escaped my lips as I arrived in the upstairs hallway and slowly made my way to Charlie's bedroom. I plopped myself on the bed, and exhaustion washed over me instantly. I hadn't even known I was so tired. I turned off the flashlight and closed my eyes. I didn't know if I was going to be able to stay awake with the whole gang tonight. I rolled over onto my side and suddenly realized that I was very uncomfortable. I thought about it for a while, before remembering that I was wearing a pair of stiff jeans. I groaned loudly. I really didn't feel like getting up right now. I let my thoughts wander, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

"Bella," a voice whispered loudly, waking me up and causing me jump up in surprise.

I grasped blindly in the dark for the flashlight, only to have it thrust in my hand.

"You human's are so blind," Alice's voice said again.

I could only barely make out her small shape in the darkness, so I turned the flashlight on and shone it in the direction of her voice.

"Hey, Alice," I said groggily. The bright light hurt my eyes, so I squinted as I looked at her.

Alice smiled at me, most likely finding my sleepy appearance amusing. She tossed a bundle of clothes on the bed.

"I thought you might need these," she explained.

"Thank you," I sighed gratefully at the sight of the comfortable tank top and pajama pants Alice had salvaged from my room.

I changed into them quickly, desperately trying not to trip over myself as I did so. Then, I ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I was done, I went back into Charlie's room and gratefully flung myself onto his large bed. Alice was sitting cross-legged beside me smiling widely.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked, a little too perkily for my taste.

I was almost dead from fatigue, but I didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings by ignoring her and falling asleep.

"I don't know, Alice," I answered dully. "What do you want to do?"

"Well we could --"

" Alice," I stopped her, "We're not doing anything that involves me getting up."

"But I --"

"No," I said simply. I knew all too well the ideas Alice probably had swimming around in her mind right now. Manicures...makeovers...dress-up...ugh.

"Fine," she said, pouting. "Maybe we can just talk."

"Talking's good," I replied. "So how's it not being in the dark, so to speak?" My speaking was slurred and I didn't even know if Alice could understand me.

"It's much better than being at home with no one to talk to. Thanks again for letting me stay."

"You're welcome," I mumbled.

"So Daddy didn't let Bella sleep downstairs with the big boys, huh?" She teased.

I narrowed my already half-closed eyes at her and grunted an incoherent reply.

Alice gently stroked my hair, attempting to comfort me. It only made me sleepier.

"Don't worry, Bella," she said. "You and Edward will get your alone time soon enough."

I had no idea how that was possible, but nodded my head anyway. Neither Jacob nor Charlie would let Edward out of their sights for even a second, and even if Charlie did fall asleep eventually, Jake was determined to make it an all-nighter. Besides, Alice was humming a sweet tune softly in my ear and I figured I only had another ten minutes before I was out cold.

"In fact," Alice continued, "it might be even sooner than you think."

I heard the evil smile in her voice and was instantly alert.

"What is that supposed to mean Alice?" I asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," she said evasively. "But I had better leave. Edward and Jacob are coming up the stairs now...with Charlie."

"What?" I questioned her, sitting up in bed.

I shone the flashlight around the room and found that Alice was already gone. I heard footsteps and indistinct arguing coming from the staircase.

"Be careful," said a musical voice, which I recognized as Edward. "Support his head."

"I am, bloodsucker!" an angry, husky voice hissed back in reply. "Stop telling me what to do!"

"I am simply saying that if we don't want Charlie in the hospital with a concussion, you should stop shaking so much and learn to control your temper."

I got out of bed and quickly ran to the top of the stairs. I tripped in the process, but managed to grab hold of the railing before hitting the floor. I shone the flashlight down the stairs and saw Edward and Jacob carrying Charlie up the stairs. Edward was in the front and somehow managed to hold a candle in one hand, while holding Charlie up with the other. Jacob was in the back, looking extremely fed up.

"What do you two think you're doing?" I whispered loudly. If Charlie woke up, there was going to be a lot of explaining to do. Not to mention if someone dropped him and he ended up in the ER.

"Relax, Bella," Jacob replied. "Your dad's an incredibly deep sleeper."

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So what do you guys think? Pretty long chapter, huh? I'm so proud of myself! Snaps for me! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note - Thanks for all the great reviews. I love you guys! I tired really hard to get this chapter out sooner than the last one, but that wasn't even a possibility. I had two giant projects and about a hundred tests in the past couple of weeks. I also went on a field trip to New York for a day. There were no computers on the ten hour there and back bus ride. On top of all that, there was nonstop holiday shopping up until yesterday. I know, I'm just giving excuses, but I tried hard guys. Hope you like it : )**

**Disclaimer - I keep wishing for ownership of Edward Cullen, but so far dreams haven't come true.  
**

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Chapter 7

BPOV

"He's sleeping?" I asked in disbelief. What were they doing carrying my sleeping father up the stairs?

"That's what I said," Jacob told me as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Excuse me love," Edward said.

"Huh?" I was still trying to process what was happening, so my brain wasn't working properly at that moment.

"You're in the way!" Jacob shouted.

"Shh!" I hissed at him, and he groaned loudly back at me. Was he trying to wake Charlie up?

I looked at Edward waiting patiently in front of me, and something finally clicked in my mind. I was standing right in front of them, blocking the way off the staircase.

"Oops...sorry," I whispered and quickly got out of the way.

Edward and Jacob walked briskly past me and I wondered how they were carrying Charlie so easily.

_Oh yeah_, I thought, s_uper strength_.

One of them could have easily carried Charlie up he stairs on their own, and it surprised me to see them working together. I shone the light on Charlie's face, trying to reassure myself that he was actually sound asleep. He scrunched up his eyes and shifted away from the light. Jacob was unprepared for the sudden movement and nearly dropped Charlie on the ground.

"Support his head!" Edward repeated.

"I am!" Jacob growled.

"Can you two please stop arguing and tell me what you are doing?" I whispered anxiously as we walked into Charlie's room.

Edward and Jacob laid Charlie carefully down on the bed, where he continued to snore loudly. They separated themselves as far apart from each other as they could in Charlie's small room.

"Charlie's going to have to wash his hair when he wakes up," Edward said. "He smells like a dog."

"I bet he'd rather smell like the great outdoors than cheap perfume," Jacob retaliated.

"Hello!" I said, waving my arms in the air. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"Well," Edward began. "I know you were extremely put out when you found you had to spend the night alone – "

"What's that smell?" Jacob asked disgustedly.

"What smell?" I questioned him, slightly annoyed that he had disrupted the much-needed explanation. I sniffed hard, trying to smell whatever scent my underdeveloped nostrils could not detect.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," Edward said innocently. "Now if I could get back to my story – "

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Jacob interrupted Edward once again. "There's another bloodsucker in here somewhere."

"Jacob, if you can't say anything nice..." I began angrily, wanting to scold him his use of the term "bloodsucker".

He cut me off, however, and spat at Edward, "Where is it?"

"You know it's very rude to interrupt someone while they're speaking," Edward said calmly.

Jacob didn't answer, but continued to glare at Edward.

After about a minute of staring coolly back at Jacob, Edward called quietly towards the door, "All right, Alice. We've been found out."

Alice appeared in the doorway in less than a second, smiling grimly at Jacob.

"How nice to see you again," Jacob snarled sarcastically.

"I wish I could say the same," Alice shot back.

Jacob turned to me and asked accusingly, "What is she doing here?"

"It's a long story," I sighed.

Charlie snored loudly, as if to remind us of his presence.

"Speaking of stories," I said, "Edward, you were about to tell one."

"That's right," said Edward. "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, I knew you were upset, Bella, so I began thinking if ways for us to be together. Charlie was being incredibly nice to me, hoping it would convince me not to rebel against him while he slept. He was just starting to sing a campfire song, but before he was out cold before he got to the chorus."

I noticed Jacob rolling his eyes as Edward spoke. He was probably thinking that he could do a far better job telling the story than Edward could.

"I couldn't come upstairs once Charlie had fallen asleep because Kujo over here wouldn't take his eyes off of me." Edward turned to Jacob and smirked, "Am I really that attractive?"

Jacob growled in response, but Edward continued before he could think of something clever to say back.

"I knew Jacob would've woken Charlie up the minute I left. In fact, he was thinking of telling Charlie of my plan, right then and there," Edward said.

"Stay out of my mind, leech!" Jacob said loudly.

"Shh!" I shushed him again.

Edward kept going as if Jacob hadn't spoken. "Jacob and I could have come up here together, but I think it would have been slightly uncomfortable for both of us to be contained in Charlie's not-so-well ventilated room for an entire night. You and Alice could have simply come downstairs, but there was always the chance that Charlie could have woken up while you two were down there. Then we would have had a lot of explaining to do."

"And you didn't consider the fact that Charlie could have woken up while you were carrying him upstairs?" I questioned incredulously. I thought vampires were supposed to be smart. "How are you going to explain _this_ to him?"

"I was getting to that, Bella," Edward explained patiently. "Anyways, I decided to let Charlie have the pleasure of sleeping in the quiet comfort of his own room, while the rest of us camped out downstairs. I, of course, could have single handedly carried Charlie up the stairs, but Jacob insisted that he do it himself."

"Well _most_ people don't like the feeling of ice touching their bare skin," Jacob interrupted, "so I thought he might wake up."

I heard Jacob's emphasis on "most" and knew he was talking mostly o me as he spoke.

"Us arguing over the job definitely would have woken him up, so I, being the generous person that I am, offered to share the job," Jacob finished. "I had no idea your dad was such a heavy, Bella. I guess a near death squirrel attack really takes a lot out of a guy. And that's how we got where we are now, so can we please leave where we are now? It's getting harder to breathe deeply without the urge to gag."

"Oh please!" Alice whispered furiously. "I smell horrible! Jasper probably won't even want to be around me when I get home." She sniffed her arm tentatively and pulled away quickly in disgust. "Ugh! I'll wash, but I'll never be clean!" She tugged hysterically on her sleeve and said, "This outfit is ruined! I'll have to burn it now!"

"Hello?" I said, frantically waving the flashlight over my sleeping father. "Can we please continue this discussion elsewhere?"

No matter what Edward and Jacob said about Charlie being a deep sleeper, our voices were getting steadily louder. If my screams in the middle of the night had sent Charlie running to my aid, then two vampires and a werewolf arguing loudly five feet in front of him might send him through the roof. It was hard to stick to that theory, though, as I looked over at Charlie, who was putting sleeping babies to shame.

Jacob left the room quickly, looking relieved to be able to breathe some fresh air. Alice danced after him, and Edward and I followed, hand in hand, closing the door behind us. While walking down the stairs I noticed Alice moving deliberately slowly, trying to keep as much distance between her and Jacob on the cramped stairs as possible. It was taking much longer than usual to climb down, so I gave Alice a small push. She turned around quickly, stopping the decent all together. Jacob stopped as well, wanting to see what the hold up was about.

"What?" Alice asked guiltlessly.

"I know you three aren't getting any older," I replied. "I, on the other hand, am getting older by the second, so can we please stop wasting time and hurry it along?"

Alice sighed and continued to walk, this time quickening her pace. I had the feeling that Edward and Jacob were laughing on the inside at my little outburst, so I made sure to be extra careful walking down the stairs. There was no need to give them a reason to laugh out loud.

We walked into the living room and Alice giggled at the sight of my dad's handiwork.

"Don't ask," I mumbled. I laid the flashlight facing upwards on the ground I plopped myself onto one of the sleeping bags. The sleeping bag wasn't as soft as I had expected, however, and I ended up with a sore behind.

"Ow!" I said softly.

Jacob chuckled and both Edward and Alice smiled sympathetically at me. Edward walked over to the wall, and easily retrieved the large couch.

"I think you'll be more comfortable on this, Bella," he said.

"Thanks," I said, sitting down carefully on the couch. "By the way, no one has explained to me what you're going to tell Charlie when he wakes up. He may be oblivious sometimes, but he's not an idiot. I think he's going to remember telling _me_ to sleep in his room."

"Don't worry about it, Bella," Edward answered. "I've got an explanation ready for Charlie."

"I doubt if it's any good," said Jacob.

"Shut up, Jacob," I said.

The moment I stopped talking and began to relax, fatigue washed over me. I had forgotten how exhausted I was. I felt myself quickly dozing off, so I was grateful, but slightly annoyed, when Jacob sprawled out nest to me, causing the couch to shake. He stretched his arms and yawned loudly, while Edward and Alice looked at him in disgust.

"Getting sleepy?" Edward questioned him hopefully.

"Are you kidding me?" Jacob scoffed. "The night's just getting started!"

He wrapped his arm around me playfully, but Edward apparently couldn't take a joke.

"Don't you dare touch her!" he growled. He looked absolutely menacing.

"Get off me Jake," I said, attempting to push him off. I was extremely annoyed that Jacob seemed to be trying very hard to get on Edward's nerves tonight. Jacob's grip around my neck remained firm, and I was worried that he might strangle me if he wasn't careful.

"What's wrong?" Jacob taunted. "Is little Eddie afraid of a little competition?"

"Edward..." Alice cautioned, holding onto his arm. However, she too looked at Jacob with malice.

"Jacob let go!" I repeated. "There is no competition."

Edward inched forward slightly, getting into crouch position.

"Edward no!" I said, but he obviously wasn't listening to me.

I saw fear in Alice's eyes as I looked over at her. She couldn't see what was going to happen, and therefore didn't know what Edward would do next. He was stronger than she was and would be able to release himself from her grasp if he really wanted to. It was completely silent in the house as Edward and Jacob glared at each other from across the living room.

"Jacob," I said quietly, "get off me please."

I saw the pain in his eyes as I spoke, but Jacob released his grip on me and moved to the other end of the couch. Edward straightened up and Alice let go of his arm. I breathed a sigh of relief that no one had been killed on my account tonight. Well, at least not yet.

After a few more minutes in silence, I looked warily around the room and asked, "So...what do you guys want to do?"

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**Well...what do you think? And be honest. I'm a big girl guys. I can take the criticism (as long as it doesn't make me cry).**

**Click the review button. Do it now. You know you want to : )**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note - All my exams are finally over and done with so hopefully I'll get plenty of time to work on my story. I think I'm going to start putting myself on a schedule. If I get lots of review, the next chapter will be out a lot sooner than the last few have been...hopefully.

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Chapter 8

BPOV

Edward and Jacob looked at me in disbelief. I knew the last thing they wanted to do was interact in any way with one another, unless of course they were ripping out each other's throats, but I decided to take a shot in the dark **(buh dum chh!!) **Alice, however, did the unexpected and smiled at me.

_Oops_, I thought. What had I gotten myself into?

"I have a few ideas," said Alice. "Considering this is a 'sleepover,' maybe we should play some sleepover games."

It was Alice's turn to be stared at in disbelief, and this time, I joined Edward and Jacob as the looked apprehensively at her.

"What kind of games exactly?" I asked, not entirely sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"Truth or dare?" Alice suggested excitedly.

"NO!" Edward and I screamed in unison.

I clapped my hand over my mouth and listened carefully for any sign that Charlie had woken up. The house remained silent after several seconds, so I relaxed.

"Wimps," taunted Jacob, "Afraid to play a harmless game of truth or dare. Back in La Push I'm known as Mr. Dare."

"Well, Mr. Dare, I'm afraid you won't be able to put you're impressive truth or dare skills to good use tonight," said Edward.

"Why not?" Alice asked disappointedly.

"Because we aren't playing," Edward said plainly.

Alice immediately plastered a pouty expression on her face, and looked as if she was going to complain.

Before she opened begin, I quickly said, "Personally, Alice, I would love to play a rousing game of truth or dare, but I don't think the guys want to play."

"I d—" Jacob began, but I quickly elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

"It's really no fun with just two people right?" I asked her.

"I guess not," Alice answered quietly as she looked down at the floor dejectedly.

However, after all of one second, Alice looked up with a large smile on her face, and I swear I heard the click in her brain as another idea popped into her head. I suppose even their minds work at vampire speed.

" Alice…" Edward warned her. Apparently, he already knew what "fun" surprise Alice had in store for us.

Alice ignored him and squealed, "Fashion show!"

There was complete silence in the room as Jacob and I registered what Alice had said.

"Excuse me?" I asked, horrified.

"Fashion show!" Alice repeated excitedly.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jacob chucked.

"Of course not," said Alice. "It's the perfect combination of all the fun things that make up a great sleepover. Makeovers, dress-up, mani-pedis…"

"Do I look like I need a mani-pedi?" Jacob asked.

"Well…" Alice pondered, looking over Jacob's hands and feet.

"Absolutely not, Alice," said Edward.

"Please!" Alice begged. "It would be so much fun! You boys wouldn't have to play. You could just watch. Bella and I could be the models."

"Which Bella are you referring to?" I asked in shock. "The Bella we all know and love sitting in front of you, or the one whose body has obviously been taken over by the spirit of someone who actually enjoys this kind of insane activity?" I took a deep breath as I finished speaking.

_I really need to work on controlling my little outbursts_, I thought.

"Is that a trick question?" asked Alice.

" Alice!"

"Please, Bella!" she pleaded, getting on her knees.

"Have some dignity, Alice," I said.

"Oh, Bella, don't you love me?" she asked.

"Of course I love y—"

"Then why won't you do this one little thing for me? I've never asked much of you. Maybe a shopping spree here and there, but nothing that did any damage."

_I beg to differ_, I thought, remembering a particularly painful shopping spree the week before, where Alice had forced me in to Victoria's Secret and wouldn't let me come out until I had tried on at least three different articles of "clothing."

"I've never had a real sleepover before," whimpered Alice. "Who knows when I'll get a chance like this again?"

"The next time you decide kidnap me and hold me against my will," I mumbled.

"I thought that was fun," Alice said to herself.

"Once again, Alice, no one wants to play. You're great at thinking of things to do. Why don't you come up with something else?"

"Because I want to do this!" she wailed.

"I actually wouldn't mind watching," Jacob said. "As long as I don't have to put on a dress and strut my stuff on the runway, I'm fine with whatever we do."

Edward turned and glared hard at Jacob. I didn't need to read minds to know that what Jacob was really saying was, "I wouldn't mind watching Bella parade around in a skimpy dress and deadly heels."

"See, Bella. You're the only one being a party pooper," said Alice.

"I don't want t do this either," said Edward, coming to my defense.

"Edward!" Alice whined, her high-pitched voice getting dangerously loud.

"Shh!" I hissed.

"Edward," Alice repeated quietly, crawling forward on her knees, "you know you've always been my favorite brother. Can you please convince Bella to play with me?"

"I will not ask Bella to do anything she doesn't want to do," he said.

_Thank goodness my boyfriend's a gentleman_, I thought.

Alice, however, wasn't about to give in that easily. She turned quietly and stared at me with the biggest, saddest puppy-dog eyes I had ever seen.

"Please?" she asked simply.

I was suddenly overwhelmed with a surge of guilt as I looked at Alice's pitiful face. I quickly scanned the room for any sign that Jasper had decided to make an appearance at this party.

_Well_, I thought, _it is her first real slumber party_.

I took a deep breath. "Fine," I sighed.

All traces of sadness were promptly eliminated from Alice's face as she abruptly jumped into the air and let out a squeal of delight.

" Alice, be quiet!" I whispered.

She ignored my and shrieked, "I'll be right back!"

With that, Alice ran swiftly towards stairs.

"What?" I asked to no one, as Alice was already long gone.

After a few seconds I said, "Wait…She's going to wake up Charlie!"

"Bella," said Jacob, "a meteor could come crashing through the roof right now, fall on Charlie's bed, and he would still go on sleeping like a baby, baby."

"How cute," Edward smirked. "He's trying to be funny."

"I don't have to try leech," Jacob retorted. "Unlike you, it's one of the many things that come naturally me."

"Excuse me!" Alice chirped from the bottom of the stairs.

Her voice startled me and I nearly fell off the couch in surprise.

"Models in the kitchen, please," she ordered, and marched off towards the dark kitchen.

"By models I suppose she means me," I grumbled. This was not going to be fun.

"Mind if I borrow this?" I asked.

I grabbed the flashlight off without waiting for an answer and headed for the kitchen.

"Play nice you two," I called over my shoulder to Edward and Jacob.

They were opposite sides of the room and looked like they had no intention of speaking to each other, so I relaxed and walked into the kitchen. Honestly, I was hoping that they would break out into a full on fistfight. I know it was a horrible thought, but I would do almost anything to put the fashion show on hold.

"Quickly, quickly!" Alice ushered me impatiently into the kitchen.

"Don't push it," I said.

I shone the flashlight over the kitchen table and groaned audibly. Alice had spread out a wide variety of beauty products and clothing that I had never seen in my life.

" Alice, where did all this come from?" I asked, confused. I knew she was fast, but I think it might have taken just a little longer for her to run to the mall and back.

"Your room," she answered distractedly. She was shuffling through some scary looking devices as if wondering which one to use on me first. "I bought them for you a while ago, but I hid them. I knew if you had found all off this stuff, you would have donated them to charity or something, so I decided to wait until you were in a good mood before revealing all these things to you."

"So I'm in a good mood, am I?" I asked hysterically.

"Definitely not," she replied, "but now's as good a time as any to put this stuff to good use. I didn't feel like running all the way home to get my own supplies. Bella, what colors do you like best on your skin? I already have something in mind, but I wanted to have your input."

Before I opened my mouth, Alice seized a chair from underneath the table and said, "Never mind. Just sit down and we'll get started."

I sat down on the chair slowly and reluctantly and held my breath as Alice began.

"Relax, Bella," Alice said. "This is going to be fun."

"I'm having fun already," I said sarcastically.

I pointed the flashlight upwards to give Alice more light.

"Oh, you can turn that off," she said. "No need to waste the batteries."

"I'd really feel more comfortable if you did this with some light," I said.

"Are you doubting my skills, Bella?" Alice asked.

"No, Alice," I sighed. I turned the flashlight off, leaving us in almost complete darkness.

Alice started applying foundation to my face and said, "You have gorgeous skin, Bella. I don't even have to put on that much cover-up."

"Lucky me."

"Come on, Bella, this is fun," said Alice.

"By what definition of fun?" I inquired.

"By every girl's definition of fun," Alice responded. She reached over to the table and picked up one of the frightening looking tools.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "What is that thing?"

"Calm down, Bella. It's just an eyelash curler."

I gripped the bottom of my chair as Alice worked on my eyelashes, and then moved on to apply eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara.

"Is all this really necessary?" I asked. "It's dark out there."

"Well, the two people that will be watching the show have superior eyesight, so I don't think the darkness will be a problem," she answered. "Besides, it's important for you to feel beautiful even if no one can see you."

She grabbed a hot curling iron from the table and began putting large, bouncy curls in my hair. I had thought that my hair was impossible to curl, but Alice proved me wrong. Maybe it's just impossible when I try. After she was done with my hair, she made the final touches on my face by adding lip-gloss and a little but of blush.

"We don't need too much of that on you," Alice said. "You have your own natural blush."

As if my body was trying to prove Alice's point, I began to feel my cheeks get hot.

"Oh, Bella, you look beautiful!" Alice cried as she held a mirror up to my face.

I couldn't see much, but from what I did see, I concluded that I didn't look half-bad.

"Alright," said Alice, "you have to change into your first outfit."

"Don't you think we should have done this before doing my hair and makeup?" I asked while attempting to slip off my pajamas without ruining Alice's hard work.

"Well, you have several outfits to put on during the course of the show, so it wouldn't have made a difference. Besides, this first dress you can slip over your feet."

She threw a silky dress at me, which I assumed was blue, and a pair of strappy silver heels.

"Where did you manage to hide all this without me finding it?" I asked.

"Well if I told you, I wouldn't be able to hide anything there anymore, now would I?" she replied smiling mischievously.

I slipped on the dress and shoes without asking any more questions. I knew I wasn't going to get answers. The dress felt like it fit me perfectly, but I still would have liked to look at a full-length mirror for an hour or two, before I could feel comfortable enough to walk into the living room.

"Is the runway cleared?" Alice called into the living room.

I heard shuffling and walking about, and then Edward called back, "Ready!"

"Come on, Bella," Alice squeaked, as se pushed me out of the kitchen. "You look absolutely fabulous!"

"Wait a minute, Alice," I said, turning around. "What are you going to wear?"

"Umm…" she said uncomfortably. "I was thinking…you'll be fine walking down the runway by yourself…and I think I'll do a much better job doing the commentary."

"Commentary?"

"Well…it's like this," she explained. "As you're walking, I'll be commenting on the different styles of clothing you're wearing."

" Alice!" I yelled. "I'm not doing this by myself! I didn't even want to do it when I thought you were doing it with me!"

"Don't worry, Bella," she said. "You'll do great."

She pushed me out the doorway as she finished speaking, and I bean slowly making my way towards the makeshift catwalk.

"Oh…and Bella?" said Alice.

I turned around to see what she wanted.

"What is it Alice?" I asked.

"Be fierce!"

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**I apologize to those people who wanted to see a truth or dare scene. I just feel that truth or dare is so played out and overdone by every fanfic author and their mothers. I'm a bit of an America's Next To Model freak so I wanted to incorporate my passion into my story. Will you guys let me know if I'm going overboard with the characters? I'm trying hard to keep everyone in character.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note - YES!! chapter nine is FINALLY out! I am so sorry for taking months and months to finish it, but here it is. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 9

BPOV

I felt myself blushing as I walked into the living room. Edward gave me a small smile of encouragement, but it only made my cheeks feel warmer. As I made my way up to the makeshift runway, I was suddenly blinded by a flash of bright light. It took me a moment to realize that Alice was shining the flashlight in my face like a spotlight. She had suddenly appeared on the sidelines with Edward and Jacob without me noticing her run past.

Great, I thought. Now I'm humiliated and blind.

Squinting down at the floor ahead of me, I saw that Edward had lined the runway, which was simply a path cleared through Charlie's camping equipment, with the candles we had found earlier.

That Edward, I thought gratefully. Always thinking.

I supposed that he had done that so that I could see where I was going and wouldn't trip, but knowing me, I would most likely trip over the candles and set the whole house on fire.

"Coming down the runway," Alice's voice rang out through the living room, "is top model Isabella Swan."

"Yeah!" Jacob cheered. "Go Bella!"

"Excuse me!" Alice scolded him. "I'm doing the commentary for this show and I don't need any assistance from the peanut gallery!"

"Well, pardon me," Jacob mocked in a high-pitched voice.

I rushed past them, keeping my head down the entire time. However, I could feel their eyes on me as I walked.

"Keep your head up, Bella," Alice instructed. "You have to make eye contact with your audience."

I stopped walking and turned to face Alice. "What audience?" I asked.

"The one watching you and thinking how amazing you look in that dress," she answered, which a slight hint of pride in her voice.

"You can't be serious," I muttered to myself as I continued on my way. I realized after a second that Alice probably heard me anyway.

"Oh yes I am," she said. "Now stop right there…and strike a pose!"

"I will do no such thing!" I retorted.

"Strike a pose! Strike a pose!" Jacob chanted.

"How vulgar," Edward said disgustedly.

I stood at the end of the runway looking like a complete fool while the "audience" watched, waiting for me to do something.

I awkwardly put my hands on my hips and said, "That's as good as it's gonna get."

With that, I turned around and quickly began to make my way back to the kitchen.

"Bella is wearing a fabulous Galliano original," Alice commented as I walked past them again.

"A Galliano original?" I gasped, stopping to face her again. "Alice, how much did you pay for this?"

"Eyes forward! Keep walking please!" She ordered quickly, completely avoiding my question.

I groaned loudly and kept walking, making a mental note to myself to bring up the subject again later. I finally reached the kitchen, after what seemed like the longest five minutes of my life, and joy and relief washed over me.

"Thank goodness that's over," I breathed.

"Over?" Alice had suddenly appeared right beside and I jumped in surprise as she spoke.

"You're not done yet," she said. "That was only your first pass. You have at least five more outfits to model."

"Five?"

"Yes," she said, "and your next one is over there on that chair."

"I refuse to humor you all night, Alice!" I said.

"Not all night, Bella," she insisted. "Just for another hour or so. Now hurry up and change. We can't keep our audience waiting."

"What audience?" I demanded again. "There are only two people out there, and neither of them would be horribly disappointed if I were to end the fashion show right now!"

"But you wouldn't do that, Bella," she said, a pleading tone creeping into her voice. "Would you?" She stared up at me with wide eyes and an innocent expression that not even a grown man could refuse.

I thought about it for a moment before answering. On one hand, I could stop the madness right now and save myself form further humiliation. But on the other hand, I felt the guilt start to crawl into my conscience once again, getting in the way of my better judgment.

"Bella," I heard Edward call from the living room, "don't let Alice bully you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"You stay out of this Edward!" Alice yelled back at him. "This doesn't concern you!"

"Well I have to put up with it, don't I?" he replied. He had appeared in the doorway and was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Besides, anything that concerns Bella concerns me."

"It's okay, Edward," I said. "I can handle her myself."

I turned to Alice and said, "Alice, I will model one for outfit for you. After that, I'm sorry, but you will have to think of something else to play."

"Aw, come on!" Jacob groaned from the living room. "This was just starting to get fun."

"Oh, shut up!" Edward growled at him.

Alice looked at me with big, sad eyes and pouted her lips. However, I already knew what was coming and quickly shut my eyes before she had a chance to work her evil magic on me.

"My mind is made up, Alice" I said firmly.

"Fine," she replied. "But you have to go along with whatever I want to do next."

I looked out into the living room at Edward for any clue of how horrible her next idea was. He smiled mischievously at me and nodded his head slightly.

"Fine," I said.

Alice clapped her hands excitedly and yelled out the doorway, "Show's over, boys. Bella needs to change."

"Alice!" I yelled.

Jacob chuckled from the other room and mumbled words I couldn't hear. I heard a noise that was sounded similar to a slap. I began blushing as she moved to block the doorway.

As if that's going to help, I thought. It wouldn't be very hard to see past Alice.

I stepped away from the doorway and blindly found my way to where Alice had laid out my outfit.

"Could you shine that over here?" I asked Alice.

She shone the flashlight over to where I was standing and I was able to get a better look at my latest torture. It appeared to consist of a pair of expensive looking black pants and a light-colored blouse with ruffles. Lying next to the clothes was, of course, a pair of high-heeled, pointy black shoes.

Oh boy, I thought sullenly.

I took off the dress, but as I reached for the pants, Alice's hand shot out of the darkness and pulled them away.

"Wait!" she said. "You have to put the blouse on first."

"Why?" I wondered suspiciously.

"Because the blouse tucks into the pants," she explained.

"…Why?" I asked again, now getting scared.

"Because the pants are high-waisted," she answered.

"How high?" I asked, putting on the blouse.

"Um…above the belly button…just under the bust line," she said.

"What?" I sputtered. "That's a bit too high for me, Alice. I'll look like a freak!"

"No you won't, Bella," she reassured me. "You'll look very fashion forward. High- waisted pants are all the rage in Europe."

"Well we're not in Europe," I mumbled.

I pulled the pants over my blouse and Alice darted behind me to tuck in the blouse. Because I was shorter than the average model, I assumed that the pants came up even higher on me than they were supposed to.

I bet I look like such a loser, I thought glumly.

As if she had heard my thoughts, Alice squealed, "Bella you look so cute! You really should dress more like this everyday. It's a great way to get people's attention."

The last thing I wanted was to be the center of attention, and I could definitely do without the kind of attention these pants would get me. I slipped on the pointy shoes and without another word to Alice, made my way towards the doorway. Because the heels on these shoes were higher than the last pair, I wobbled a bit before I was able to keep my balance. Once I felt confident enough that I wasn't going to trip and fall on my face, I took a deep breath and stepped out into the living room. By the time I got to beginning of the runway, the spotlight was on me again and Alice had joined Edward and Jacob in the "audience."

"Whoa there, sassy pants!" Jacob laughed.

My face changed color instantly and I felt ashamed as irrational tears stung my eyes. Edward appeared beside me before the tears had time to fall and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't listen to that idiot, Bella," he said. "I think you look beautiful. You always do."

"That's what I said!" Alice cried.

"You don't have to lie to me," I mumbled back to Edward. "At least Jacob's being honest."

"Bella, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Jacob said, but I heard the smile in his voice as he fought back giggles.

"Listen, you mutt," Alice snarled at him. "If I have to tell you to keep your mouth shut during my fashion show one more time, so help me I'll –"

"Alice!" I interrupted. "Please calm down."

"But he's –"

"I know Alice," I said. "But can we at least finish this before you all start fighting again? The sooner I can get out of these clothes, the better."

"Fine," she answered.

Edward gave me one last kiss and returned to his spot in the audience. I sighed, loud enough for everyone to know my extreme displeasure, and began my second walk of shame as Alice began her commentary once again.

"Appearing on the runway for the final time tonight…"

And any other night, I thought.

"…is Isabella Swan!"

Alice shot Jacob a dirty look as if daring him to say a word, so Jacob settled for clapping politely along with Edward. I dashed past them and exhaled a small breath of relief as I reached the end of the runway. Not even pausing to "strike a pose" I quickly turned around and walked back to the kitchen. I could feel Alice refraining from commenting on the outfit I was wearing and I knew it was because she didn't want to remind me of the money she spent on my new wardrobe.

"You're not getting away that easy," I thought to myself.

"Alright, show's over." I said in a monotonous tone as I entered the comforting darkness of the kitchen.

* * *

**Chapter 10 will be out soon! Review please!**


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